Sunday morning I attended a decorating class held by Pottery Barn: Decorating the Home for Autumn. In light of my recent blog posts on fall style updates, I thought the class sounded very apropos. I arrived at the SouthPark Mall Pottery Barn around 10:30 am, joining a group of about 10 other ladies ready and eager to get our design on. Two chipper sales associates led the session, introducing us to the Pottery Barn Style with a focus on Fall Tablescapes.
The most fundamental principle of a Pottery Barn Style tablescape, I learned, is Layering. Layering basically means assembling a group of things of varying colors, textures and heights to create an interesting vignette. Not coincidentally, Pottery Barn sells everything you need to create your layered look. By my count, the Pottery Barn table included 5 layers.
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(1) Start with a neutral backdrop – in class they used a brown burlap runner. The instructors mentioned they were leaving sides of the dark rustic wood table exposed because it worked well with the fall theme.
(2) Second, add a patterned textile – for example, a seasonal printed runner or tablecloth like this one.
(3) Third, place an eye-catching centerpiece on the stage. The bigger, the better is the motto – see example here.
(4) Next, all of your placesettings come into play, including dishes, silverware, glassware, and ideally some seasonal accent dishes like these skull and raven plates;
(5) Finally, artfully strew some decorative and whimsical tchotchkes across the table, like a nice bronze mouse or two, and some faux antlers.
When I got home I decided to see if I could apply what I’d learned to create my own fall tablescape. My one self-imposed rule was I must only use things I already had in my house. This of course made it a real challenge, and I worried it would be like one of those times I try to make a recipe without a lot of planning ahead, and end up omitting key ingredients or making sketchy substitutions. Sweetie? This recipe calls for cognac. You think I can use vodka instead?
Here’s my table and how I “layered” it, step by step:
I didn’t have a plain, neutral runner, so for my base layer I folded a pale yellow tablecloth in thirds and lay it across the table lengthwise.
Here’s how the table is looking so far. The centerpiece is a bit underscaled by Pottery Barn standards.
My first tablescape is for a simple dinner for 2.
With the candles lit it’s kind of romantic.
Of course there also a 6th layer: the food, if you can find room for it! Husband and I enjoyed our autumnal tablescape over dinner later that evening. If you, dear reader, feel so inclined to create a tablescape yourself, please send me a picture. I would love to see your creativity!